fjorfe without Hair, 375 



M. Sebald 111 this account gives a very correct and mi-» 

 nute hiltory of this animal, from which it remits, that he wa» 

 originally nothing more than a common German hack, for- 

 merly covered with hair, and in the poffeflion of a coachman 

 of Hohenlohe-Ochtinguen, in Franconia, who fold him to a. 

 peafant near Ober-Mafholderbach, where that change took 

 place, which rendered him an object of curiofity. 



According to the declaration of all the inhabitants of the 

 village, the proprietor of this hqrfe., who has been dead fomp 

 time, finding the animal attacked with the flrangles, gave 

 him to cat, for a whole year, leaves of the favine tree, which 

 grew in his garden, by way of a cure, and afterwards as a 

 prefervative. Soon after ufing this nouriilunent, the horfe 

 began to have new hair, which the peafant considered as 3. 

 good fymptom, and he hoped to make the horfe a new animal. 

 He continued therefore to fupply him with this new food. 

 The hair, though beautiful, fmooth, and (leek, dropped off, 

 and was fucceeded by another coat no lefs beautiful : but 

 after fome months the hair difappcared entirely, in fuch a 

 manner that the horfe became quite naked. Nature, how- 

 ever, made a laft effort ; the hair grew up for the third time; 

 but it at 1 a It dropped off entirely, the peafant always conti- 

 nuing his treatment' with the green leaves of the favine treel 



7"he horfe therefore became naked and free from hair for 

 the fourth time, and irreparably, except a few hairs on the 

 upper part of the neck, on the four feet and the tail, of which 

 the perfon to whom the peafant fold the horfe, and who had 

 become the jeft of the whole village, at lait deprived him. 

 In this ftate M. Sebald found the horfe of which he had be- 

 fore heard fome account, at the houfe of a coachman of Och- 

 tinguen, to whom the peafant had fold him for three Louis 

 d'ors, in the month of January, 1793? he was then covered 

 with a cloth, and employed in drawing a cart. 



M. Sebald then informs us how the horfe was carried 

 about from place to place by his new poffeffor, in order to 

 exhibit him for money, pretending that he was a horfe from, 

 the iflancl of Cyprus. The coachman of Ochtinguen being 

 liruck'with fome qualms of confeience, and fearing that the 

 hnpofture tmght be detected, refolved to fell him to an 

 Italian, who afterwards fold him to M. Alpy, in whofe 

 hands this horfe : became fo famous. 



As M. Sebald nicotians all the places, and being him- 

 felf a perfon" whofe ttlumony is above fufpicion, natural hif- 

 tory mutt in future renounce this pretended addition of a 

 new race, but this particular, effect of the leaves .of the favine 

 tree is an object worthy the attention and reiearches of vc* 

 t?rinary prof effort 



